


All For Her

by literallyhelp



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literallyhelp/pseuds/literallyhelp
Summary: "Hermione always had a hard time with men. Her father, while still around, was emotionally absent in her life. He simply paid the bills, went to work, and went to bed. This did not stop Hermione from anything, however. She just happened to be a bit naïve, but Hermione had enough common sense to know when something was not right."Hermione's love affairs over the course of her Secondary Schooling.NonMagic/High School AU. High drama/angst, and deals with serious issues.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Cormac McLaggen, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 36
Kudos: 19





	1. The First Situation

**Author's Note:**

> I will be placing any applicable trigger warnings in the beginning notes of every chapter, so please read with caution!
> 
> Warning: Allusions to pedophilia.

It’s not easy to find forever friends, but somehow, Ronald Weasley managed to snag two. He met Harry Potter the first day of their first year at Hogwarts. Harry and Ron were as different as two six-year-olds could be. Ron was the youngest boy of six, so he had quite the reputation to uphold, while Harry was as fresh as every other child there, being an only child. The first time their families met was the first day of their second year. Molly Weasley was toting around her seven children, making sure they all met their teachers and were comfortable in their schedules. The eldest boys, Bill and Charlie, were already in final stages of schooling, which meant that they knew the school like the back of their hand. They were mainly there to help acclimate Percy to the new level and make Ginny feel comfortable, in addition to moving in. The eldest boys even showed Percy the dorms, where he would be staying the following year. While visiting Ron’s homeroom, they saw Harry with his guardian, Sirius. Ron and Harry shared a short, sweet embrace, before Molly introduced herself and her children to the two dark haired men. It was not long after that a close friendship rose between the two families.

Hermione Granger did not come into play until the following year. She just sort of fell in with them. The boys noticed her reading on the playground, the book in her hand being as big as she was. Harry was the first to take an interest in her. How could an eight-year-old manage to ignore the swing set and sit under the slides to read? Honestly, if it weren’t for Harry, Ron would probably have never approached Hermione. He actually despised her for the first few months of their friendship; he thought of her as a know-it-all bookworm. The turning point for Ron was when she stood up for his younger sister. Hermione knew good and well that Ginny had six older brothers that would ruin anyone that dare mess with their baby sister, but despite that, Hermione still told Pansy Parkinson to buzz off and stop pestering the girl for something she has no control over, such as her hair color. That sprouted a friendship between the two girls as well, but it did not compare to the relationship that the three eight-year-olds had.

As they continued their school, they were inseparable, and somehow, they always managed to find trouble. By looking at them, one may easily expect Ron, the tall lanky ginger, to be the troublemaker, instead of his two brunette friends. While Ron _did_ have his fair share of incidents, it was Hermione that managed to get herself in a situation that she needed assistance with.

Hermione always had a hard time with men. Her father, while still around, was emotionally absent in her life. He simply paid the bills, went to work, and went to bed. This did not stop Hermione from achieving anything she desired. Although she happened to be a bit naïve when it came to men, Hermione had enough common sense to know when something was not right. The first situation Hermione was in was with her own professor. She was thirteen years old. It was her first year in secondary school at Hogwarts, and the first year she was allowed into the boarding program. She was excited to have her school’s resources so easily accessible, and was doing exceedingly well in school. Her legs were still long and lanky as they extended from her skirt, and her uniform was illy-fit. Her looks had nothing to do with her skills, and Hermione expected those above her to see that. She was receiving perfect marks in every class, and she thought that Professor Lockhart was genuinely interested in her academic abilities. He invited her to stay in his class for their lunch period and discuss her research, which she gladly did, but when the much older man reached out and gripped her fingers, pressing them to his large palm, she instantly felt a sickening feeling in her stomach.

“I think I should go,” Hermione said shyly, pulling her hand away from the man with the golden hair. “This doesn’t seem very appropriate.”

“No, it’s quite alright, Hermione.” Lockhart insisted, but Hermione had already begun to collect her things and rush out of the classroom, muttering an apology.

It was a task to get back to her common room. Once a student entered their seventh year, they were placed into a “house” at the school, which was really a way to categorize the students based on their objectives, and to keep students with similar interest together. Hermione remembered when she received her house. The exam to be placed was long, and only students that chose to participate in the boarding program were allowed to take it. It was not necessarily an exam that was knowledge based, but more of a personality test. Ron and Harry commented after the exam that they rather enjoyed it, but Hermione groaned with disgust. What was the point of taking an exam and not receiving a mark for it? Anyways, the three were all pleasantly shocked to find that they were placed in the same house: Gryffindor. After her encounter with Lockhart, Hermione bobbed her way through the crowds of people leaving the Great Hall after lunch and went straight back to Gryffindor tower, keeping her head low the entire time. Ron and Harry found Hermione dressed in a pair of maroon joggers and a black hoodie, decorated with a golden lion, and two different colored socks on. She was sitting on one of the many couches with her knees pulled to her chest and her face tucked into the crook of her elbows.

The boys were patient with her, taking turns rubbing her back and arms while she sadly explained what had happened with Lockhart. She told her friends that she was under the assumption that Lockhart wanted to talk about her papers, because that is what he told her, but she quickly began second-guessing herself, wondering out loud if she had done something to lead him on. Harry quickly dismissed those thoughts, telling his bushy-headed friend that Lockhart must have been a pervert that got his kicks from messing with young girls. While Harry comforted Hermione, Ron quietly stood up and exited the common room, which alarmed his two friends.

The brunettes debated on what caused Ron to get up after he had left. Hermione was so sure that Ron was disgusted with her and couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her, but Harry was so sure that Ron adored Hermione, just as Harry did, and was simply upset to see her so defeated, so he needed to take a stroll to cool down. They had no idea that Ron walked straight into the Headmaster’s office and explained everything that Hermione had said to Dumbledore, the wise old man that ran their school. Ron would be damned if he did not stick up for his friends.

Lockhart was gone that very same day. Professor McGonagall, the head of the Gryffindor house, and the most respected English teacher in the school, pulled Hermione from the Great Hall after dinner that night and arranged a meeting with Dumbledore, where it was explained to the young girl that she had done nothing wrong. Hermione tended to put on a brave face, but she let herself cry in Dumbledore’s office, begging for forgiveness. She felt absolutely awful that she cost a man his job. Both the professors insisted to Hermione that she was the victim and that she would not have to deal with Lockhart anymore, nor would anyone else in the school.

When Hermione returned to the common room, she said nothing. Ron and Harry were waiting for her, still in their uniforms, while everyone else had left to get ready for bed. Hermione quickly approached Ron and wrapped her arms around his middle, squeezing him tightly. Ron took the silent _thank you_ and squeezed the smaller girl back, resting his chin on top of her fluffy curls. Once they parted, Hermione bid the boys a quiet goodnight, then walked up to the lower-classmen women’s dormitory.


	2. Viktor Krum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years have passed since the first situation was in. This time around, Hermione didn't need Ron to step in. She had it covered. Ron, however, found it hard to agree. It was hard enough to sit by and watch Hermione turn into someone she wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter to bridge into the juicy part of the story!
> 
> Warning: Mentions of consensual sex with a minor

Everyone at Hogwarts knew who Viktor Krum was. Even the children in the primary schooling. Viktor Krum was something of a savior to the Hogwarts sporting community. He was their Fly Half, which was the position that was idolized by everyone in the sport. He all lean muscle with a buzzed head of hair to top it off.

And he was crazy about Hermione Granger.

As Hermione entered her ninth year at school, she found that her head of house had placed her in higher classes. McGonagall told Mrs. Granger that the classes Hermione were enrolled in were not challenging her enough, and her exam marks put her at the same level as those in year eleven. That was where Hermione met Viktor. She sat next to him in Chemistry, which made them lab partners. She was the only girl that did not immediately swoon at the mention of Viktor Krum, and that was what got his attention. As the semester continued, Viktor and Hermione were seen together more than often. When inquired by her friends, Hermione insisted that they were doing homework, and that Ron or Harry would not understand because they did not have to take that course yet. The boys let up on Hermione a bit, but when her and Krum began sitting together at breakfast, they knew something more was going on between them.

“He’s almost seventeen!” Ron exclaimed at Hermione. They were sitting on the couch closest to the fireplace in their common room, which was almost empty. It was coming up on Christmas holiday, and the upperclassmen had already been excused for the break. Hermione rolled her eyes and leaned back on the couch, her elbow brushing up against Ginny’s, who sat between Harry and Hermione.

“And what about it, Ronald?” Hermione groaned, lifting her hand to her face so she could press her thumb and middle finger against her aching temples.

“You’ve just turned fourteen!” Ron rebutted quickly.

“There is nothing wrong with that. Honestly, Ron, I think you’re overreacting.” Hermione said calmly, then pulled her legs up to get more comfortable on the couch.

“Don’t you remember Lockhart?” He began, which earned a glare from the girl he was trying to make a point to. Even Harry jolted, completely unexpecting of Ron’s statement. “I just don’t want to see you hurt again, ‘Mione.” Ron said, trying to recover from his previous question.

“Viktor is not going to hurt me!” Hermione exclaimed, her temper quite short after Ron’s comment. “He’s my boyfriend, and if you have a problem with that, you can take it up with him! I’m tired of this conversation, I’m going to bed.” And with that, Hermione stood and walked quickly up the stairs.

Both of the boys shot Ginny a look of desperation, causing the younger girl to stand and huff, then follow Hermione up the stairs to console her.

Hermione was short with her friends up until the last day of school. She wished them a happy Christmas, then walked to a different train car to sit with some other Gryffindor girls.

When they arrived back to school from the break, Ron was shocked to see Hermione and Krum still together. They walked around campus as a couple, Viktor’s arm draped comfortably around Hermione’s shoulders. During the duration of their relationship, Ron practically avoided Hermione. He did not like the person she had become when she was with Viktor. She wasn’t herself. He barely saw her in the library anymore, but rather surrounded by the rugby team and their girlfriends, all of them at least a year ahead of her. He was so worried that they were taking advantage of her tender age, while they were all nursing patches of facial hair or squeezing their pubescent figures into tighter clothes. Ron was thankful Hermione still looked like her, and not the preppy bimbos she hung out with. The girl was still skinny, but her chicken legs that attracted Lockhart were now fuller and led up a swell in her hips. The change was not significant, but something Ron had noticed over the past year. Her uniform still sagged on her, the material being just slightly too big to be flattering. Her hair found the perfect balance between frizzy and sleek, creating a cascade of chocolate curls from under her hat and down her shoulders. She was really beautiful, especially in the winter. The tip of her button nose was a shade of pink Ron had never seen before. Unfortunately, her left cheek was the same color due to Krum’s prickly beard rubbing against her skin as he kissed her face.

Whenever Seamus confided in Ron that his best friend and Viktor Krum were sleeping together, Ron felt a rush of emotions flow through him. First, jealousy. That frightened him, so he quickly replaced that with anger. How _could_ Krum? She was barely fourteen, and his seventeenth birthday was approaching the following month. Did he feel alright doing that? Ron had half a mind to go have a “special talk” with Krum about Hermione’s dignity, but Harry quickly talked him out of that. Seamus spared him no details of how Hermione began sleeping with Viktor Krum. Apparently, Viktor and Hermione saw each other frequently over the holiday. They would shack up in the backseat of his mother’s van. Ron felt pity for Hermione; she didn’t deserve for her first time to be in the back of a car. She deserved something extravagant. The jealousy rose again, forcing Ron to shove it away.

Viktor and Hermione began to slowly drift apart as the new year progressed. By the end of the spring semester, Hermione was spending all of her time with Ron and Harry again. She gave no explanation as to why Viktor was not hanging on her like she was his life support, but Ron was glad either way. The month of their final exams, Hermione was back to how Ron remembered her. She spent a majority of her time in the library, her nose, no longer pink from the cold, practically pressed up against the pages she was studying. Harry tried his best to keep up with the information Hermione was relaying to them about their exams, while Ron sat back and played games on his phone. He would smirk every time Hermione got onto him for not listening.

He felt more than content, he felt complete. That was the year he realized he needed Hermione Granger in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This was mainly a filler chapter to bring Hermione's sex life into the plot. It's not super important, but I just want it established that she now has experience.


	3. Cormac McLaggen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione is no longer a little girl, and everyone around her seems to be noticing. Especially Ron. He makes a joke that goes way too far, leaving Ron frustrated at himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really any warnings this chapter!

Something felt different about Hermione. The following September after Hermione and Krum broke up, she came back to school a whole new girl. Because none of them could drive, the only time Ron and Harry got to see Hermione was when she would text them pictures from the Granger’s holidays. She looked the same in the pictures; same round face, poofy hair, and cheesy grin, but the Hermione that they met on the boarding platform for the Hogwarts Express was only similar to that girl. The new Hermione had learned how to maintain her hair, leaving it in a slicked back ponytail with curls falling down her back, and had found some free time to learn how to apply mascara. She was covered in a heavy, rain-soaked cloak, but when Ron hugged her, he found that she was not as skinny as she had been the previous semester.

When they boarded the train, Hermione removed her cloak, revealing a uniform that was no longer baggy, but instead hugged her small waist and swollen chest. Rom swallowed hard as he sat across from her. He couldn’t bring his eyes up to look at her, so he cast his gaze down, which did not help his situation. Hermione’s legs looked strong, and the way her skirt laid across her lap when she sat down made Ron think about things he had never thought about when it came to Hermione.

Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione sat in their car and chatted about their summers. They took turns listening to one another. Harry and Sirius had gone to the Bahamas, which explained his slightly tan complexion. Hermione and her mother had visited family friends in America, where Hermione earned a newfound love for skyscrapers and pizza. Ginny and Ron took turns talking about how annoying their brothers were, and how Fred and George were so sure they were going to drop out the upcoming year and start their own business. Molly had to tell them that it was a very slim chance that two seventeen-year-olds could start a successful business. By the time they arrived to Hogwarts, Ron had managed to look Hermione in the eye again, and only in the eyes so he could avoid looking at the way her skirt flowed with every step she took.

The group walked into the Great Hall and took their normal spots at the Gryffindor table. Viktor Krum walked behind them and placed a gentle hand on Hermione’s shoulder, pulling the entire group’s attention to him.

“Hello, ‘Ninny.” He said softly, a friendly smile on his face.

Hermione returned the smile and greeting. “Hello, Viktor, did you have a good summer?” She asked.

“I did,” Viktor replied, squatting down beside her so they could actually talk, and he could stay out of the way from those who were trying to get a spot at their table. “I went to Bulgaria to see my family.”

“How nice!” Hermione smiled, then angled her body so she could place a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll see you around, then?” She asked, which was her politely ending the conversation. Krum smiled and nodded, then stood and walked past her to the Hufflepuff table.

The group waited for Krum to be seated at a good distance away before pestering Hermione.

“What was that?” Ginny asked from across the table, her dark red eyebrows raised so high that they practically met her hairline.

“What?” Hermione asked, then turned to either side to see that Ron and Harry were waiting for her to answer, their faces just as curious as Ginny’s. “He’s a friend, I haven’t talked to him all summer.” She said, lifting her hands in surrender. “Don’t worry. He’s a bit too dim for my liking. So sweet, though, I just can’t date him anymore.”

Ron let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

School went on as normal. Hermione was still taking upper-level classes, but shared a single class with Ron and Harry: Latin. Hermione was trained in French growing up, so she had to take a different language in order to graduate. It was refreshing to have a class with Hermione again, this way they could all study together and the boys could actually learn something, aside from last year where they had to do their own studying.

Hermione stayed with her friends pretty much the whole first half of the fall semester, which made Ron curious. Why had she not taken a new boyfriend? There was no way he was the only one to see how Hermione had changed over the summer. Maybe the boys in their year assumed that Hermione was with him or Harry. It wasn’t too far off of a thought, considering the only time Hermione was without them was during class and when she was asleep.

* * *

“Do you want to talk about dim?” Ginny asked, sitting next to Hermione at breakfast on a nice fall morning. “Let’s talk about Lavender Brown. Poor girl can’t stop from drooling every time Ron walks in the room.”

Four pairs of eyes cast their gaze down the table to find that what Ginny had been saying was true. Lavender Brown was already gawking at Ron, but when their eyes met, she bashfully looked away.

“Poor thing.” Harry muttered with a chuckle, then turned to Ron, who was just as red as his hair.

“Me?” Ron asked, furrowing his brow. His eyes met Hermione’s. He couldn’t read her. Did she look sad? Hurt? Maybe even jealous? Ron couldn’t tell.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.” Ginny said with a roll of her eyes. “She looks as if she has to hold herself back from jumping up when you get back to the common room.”

After Ginny pointed it out, Ron began to notice it more and more. He liked the feeling of being admired, but he no longer felt complete. Eventually, Ron began inviting Lavender to eat lunch with them. The more she was around, the less he seemed to look at Hermione. Of course, Lavender did not make him forget about his bushy-haired best friend, but it made him feel less guilty to admire Lavender instead of Hermione.

When Lavender began sitting with them for breakfast, Hermione stopped. She told them that she preferred tea for breakfast now, which she could take around the castle with her. She insisted that it had nothing to do with their new _friend_ , but rather the fact that she was desperate to stay on top of her studies. After a week of Hermione being absent for their mornings, a familiar face approached Ron in the common room. Hermione had just stood up and carried her books up the stairs so she could exchange them for her next class’s books.

“So,” A deep voice sounded over Ron’s shoulder, making him jump. “What’s going on with Granger? She’s not with Krum, yeah?”

Ron turned to look at Cormac McLaggen with a cocked brow. “No, mate, that’s been over for a while.”

“So, she’s available?” Cormac asked, but it didn’t sound like a question.

“Go for it.” Ron muttered jokingly, assuming that it would give Hermione a good chuckle to be hit on by one of the dimmest people in their school.

Go for it, he did.

Ron would have never guessed that Hermione Granger, the smartest girl in the entire school, and he would argue in the entire world, would end up dating Cormac McLaggen. The only reason he was able to stay at Hogwarts was due to his rugby status. He was an inside center, playing right beside Krum every single game. It proved to Ron that Hermione had a type, and that type was absolute gits.

After the first semester, Hermione still doted on Cormac. Luckily for Ron and Harry, she didn’t disappear the way she did with Krum, but unfortunately, Cormac followed her like a lost dog. Lavender kept up with her Ronald Weasley obsession, but Ron’s priorities shifted to keeping an eye on Hermione yet again, so the newest girl to their group did not last very long. Cormac, however, stayed much longer than Ron and Harry liked to admit. Ron expected the same thing that happened with Viktor to happen with Cormac, but he found himself sitting across from the loving couple on the way to Hogwarts as they entered their tenth year. Ginny’s normal spot next to Hermione had been taken, and she didn’t actually want to sit on the same bench as them, so she spent her journey to Hogwarts sitting next to Harry Potter.

Cormac boasted about how he had got his own car over the holiday, leaving little room for Hermione to share her stories with her friends, let alone her friends to share right back with her. When he wasn’t talking about his car, he was talking about how he was going to be taking over as co-captain of the rugby team, and when he wasn’t talking about that, he was trying to kiss on Hermione. Ron even noticed his hand slide up Hermione’s thigh, but she put a quick stop to that.

As soon as the train stopped, Ron was up and out of the car, leaving his friends confused behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This is another filler chapter. I try to keep my chapters pretty short to keep myself from going on and on, so it may start looking like this work is going to have more than five? I guess we'll find out together.


	4. Affairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things were supposed to be different. Hermione was supposed to stay with them. Ron learns the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings! Suicide threats and cheating

After their one-year anniversary, Hermione and Cormac seemed different. They didn’t hang on one another the way they used to, Cormac would often pull Hermione away from her friends, and she began to disappear the way she did when she was dating Krum. Ron felt empty. Sure, he was always around Harry, and his sister made up for the female voice in their group, but it just wasn’t the same. The idea of Hermione Granger, his best friend of eight years, was beginning to feel more like a fever dream than reality. The only alone time Hermione had with her friends was when Cormac would leave for the weekend.

“We really do miss you, ‘Mione.” Ron said at breakfast one Saturday morning, interrupting whatever Ginny was saying about Dean Thomas.

“It’s complicated.” Hermione said with a small shrug. “I know I’ve been a bit absent, but I have a lot going on right now.”

“Care to share? We’re here to listen.” Harry proposed, reaching across the table to offer his hand to Hermione, who gladly took it and gave it a squeeze.

“I miss you guys too. I really do.” She said, her eyes switching from Harry, to Ginny, then settling on Ron as she talked. “Cormac just wants to spend as much time with me as he can. His mum is sick and it’s making him appreciate the little things in life.”

“That’s rich.” Ron groaned. “So, he’s making you appreciate things with him? We hardly see you, Hermione!”

“Ronald, I’d rather not have another argument about one of my boyfriends. You can’t do this every time I date someone.” Hermione said, retracting her hand from Harry’s and leaning away from him.

“No, really, let’s have a go.” Ron nodded, leaning forward towards the table, making up for the space she had tried to put between them. He knew that his anger and frustrations were misplaced, and he was taking it all out on Hermione, but he couldn’t stop. “This is the same thing that happened with Krum. You find a boy, then you just up and abandon us.”

“I am _not_ abandoning you!” Hermione said quickly, feeling a spark of anger light in her chest. She leaned back towards the table, sitting across from Ron. “I’m allowed to have other people in my life, Ronald, I am not your property.”

“You may not be mine, but you are sure as hell acting like his.” Ron snapped back, earning a moment of silence between their group. As if he knew what was happening, Cormac’s name lit up on Hermione’s phone. She stood from the table and gathered her things, then walked away and answered the incoming call.

“Nice going, Ron.” Harry said. “No, really.” He followed with when Ron threw his hands in the air.

* * *

If Hermione was scarce before, she was completely absent after her talk with Ron. Cormac ended up picking Hermione up from school that weekend and took her to her parent’s house and she didn’t return until the following Monday morning. She began going home with Cormac every weekend for the rest of the semester and only talked with Harry and Ginny while she was at school.

The next time she talked to Ron, she felt desperate. It was over Christmas holiday. Viktor invited the entire rugby team to his father’s house for a party, where things got too crazy for Hermione. Cormac got sloshed on the cheap beer and two shots of Mr. Krum’s liquor, so Hermione found herself alone in the stairway, texting back and forth to Ginny about how her holiday was going.

“C’mon.” Hermione heard her boyfriend slur from a few steps below her.

“Do I need to drive?” She offered, tucking her phone into the back pocket of her jeans as she stood.

“No, come on.” Cormac said again, then began walking up the stairs, taking Hermione’s wrist as he passed her. He walked them into a bedroom, but Hermione dug in her heels.

“I am not having sex in Viktor Krum’s house.” She told him quickly, pulling at her own arm.

“Yeah, you are.” Cormac said, then yanked her into the empty room.

“No, Cormac!” She said, stepping away from him.

“It’s not like it’s a new thing for you. I remember when you were shagging Krum. He always talked about it.” Cormac hissed. “I’ve already had you in my bed, so what’s the difference?”

“Viktor is our friend, I’m sure he would _not_ like to know we were in his brother’s room shagging.” Hermione said, then took a few steps away from her staggering boyfriend. “Look, let’s just go back to yours. I’ll spend the night.” She offered, which seemed to interest Cormac. He nodded, then let Hermione lead him out of the room.

“Let me drive,” Hermione said once they had exited the house, then extended her hand for his keys, but Cormac shook his head.

“You can’t.” He said, which was technically true. Hermione only had her provisional license, which meant she could only drive with her mother.

Hermione anxiously got into the passenger seat and put on her belt. Cormac did the same and began driving.

“Why do you hate me?” Cormac asked after a few minutes of driving.

“What do you mean?” Hermione replied, looking over at him. “I don’t hate you, Cormac. I wish you were a little nicer to me, but I don’t hate you.”

“I wish you were nicer to _me_!” Cormac shouted back at her, causing Hermione to jump. She warily took her phone out of her back pocket and unlocked it, then turned the brightness all the way down.

_Cormac is really drunk and driving us back to his._ She typed out on her phone, then pressed _send_.

_Are you okay?_ The text lit up on her screen almost immediately. Ron must have been on his phone already.

_A little scared._ Hermione sent back, then placed her phone back on her lap.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think I was being mean to you.” She told him. Her phone lit up again, but it was only bright enough for her to read the message.

_Call me, just so I know you’re safe_.

Hermione lifted her hands to do just that, but Cormac reached over and grabbed her face. “You hate me, don’t you?” He asked, his bloodshot eyes dancing between her and the road. “You’re probably texting Krum right now telling him how much you dread me.”

“I’m texting with Ginny!” Hermione said quickly. Her phone began to vibrate in her hand, so she used her muscle memory to answer the incoming call, hoping it was Ron.

“I bet you’re telling her how much you dread me.” Cormac muttered, letting go of Hermione’s face.

“Cormac, I do _not_ dread you.” Hermione said softly, but Cormac wasn’t having it.

“I want to die, Hermione. The thought of you with someone else makes me _actually_ want to kill myself.” He groaned, leaning his head back on the headrest.

It was at this point that Hermione noticed just how fast Cormac was driving. Two bright numbers shined on his dashboard: 87.

“Cormac, I’m not going to leave you!” Hermione said quickly, sitting back in her seat. “Please, slow down. You’re scaring me.”

“Of course, you’re not going to leave me.” Cormac hissed. “You know that if you leave me, I’ll show everyone those pictures.”

Hermione was quiet for a moment. She had tried to surprise Cormac for their one-year anniversary by sending him some scandalous pictures, but he was quick to call her a slag. He said that it would be _so_ sad if the photos were to get in the wrong hands. Part of Hermione hoped that Ron hung up before he heard that.

“This is a red light, please slow down.” Hermione said, her body seemingly glued to the chair. However, Cormac sped up. The numbers on his dashboard got closer and closer to 100 as they approached the light. “Cormac, stop the car!”

“It’ll turn green.” Cormac growled, continuing to speed up.

Hermione thought she was going to die. She squeezed her eyes closed and held her breath, bracing herself for an impact that never came. After a few seconds, her eyes opened again and revealed a green light.

“Take me home.” She said softly, her voice dripping in anger. “Take me home, _now_.”

“No!” Cormac replied, acting as if her request was ridiculous.

“Let me out here, then! Stop the car, Cormac!”

The car came to a screeching halt in the middle of the empty road. Hermione had already taken the belt off and pushed the door open, quickly stepping out before Cormac could change his mind.

“Go on, then, work the streets like the slag you are!” Cormac spit out at Hermione, then drove off.

Hermione let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, then looked down to the phone she gripped in her shaky hands. Ron’s name was still displayed on the screen. Slowly, Hermione lifted the phone to her face.

“Did you hear any of that?” She asked, her voice shaking. Her body felt like it was at war to keep tears back.

“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.” He replied, his voice just as shaky as hers.

“I’m just a few streets up from my house, I’ll be okay to walk. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Hermione whispered, knowing that Ron also only had a provisional license. “Thank you for checking on me, Ron. I really do appreciate it.” She continued, her voice still hushed.

“You’re my best friend.” Ron said, his voice just as soft. “I hope you know that I’m on my way. As soon as I called you, I was heading to my dad’s car.”

“I’m on Mill street, but I’m walking towards my house. I’m sure I’ll beat you home, so you can just come in when you get there.” Hermione told him, then bid him a safe drive and hung up.

Once she got home, she made it halfway up the stairs before the tears began to fall. Her bedroom door slammed, and she quickly sat down on the edge of her bed, letting her hands cover her face and catch her tears. It didn’t take long for her bedroom door to open and close, then Hermione felt the bed dip beside her, and two strong arms wrap around her shoulders. Hermione turned her torso so she could hug her friend, and they stayed like until Hermione could stop crying.

“He doesn’t love me, he loves that he can manipulate me.” She spoke, breaking their comfortable silence. Hermione leaned away from Ron so she could look into his eyes, only to find that he had tears welling up.

“I was so worried about you.” Ron whispered to her, his breath warm on her face.

It may have been all the emotions or the fact that they were _so_ close, but before she could think about it, Hermione placed her hands on either side of Ron’s face and pulled him down to kiss her. She could tell that he was hesitant, but it only took a moment for him to kiss her back. Their short kisses quickly escalated to snogging, and eventually led to Ron laying on his back, his hair stark red against Hermione’s light blue comforter, and Hermione straddling his waist, her mane falling over her shoulder and brushing across the bed with every move she made.

She sat up on Ron’s body and Ron felt as if she had taken his soul with her. He sat up as well, his hands falling gently on Hermione’s denim covered thighs. He watched as Hermione peeled her shirt off her torso, leaving her in a blush pink bra with lace detailing. Ron froze.

“It’s okay,” She whispered, her hands running through his hair. “I’m sober.”

“Hermione,” Ron whispered, but the girl in his lap stopped him.

“Please, Ron.” She said shyly.

“I… I don’t know what I’m doing.” He admitted, not knowing exactly where to let his eyes rest.

“That’s alright, I’ll show you.” Hermione whispered, then removed her hands from his hair so she could unclasp her bra. The dainty straps slid down her arms, revealing herself to Ron.

That was the night Ron lost his virginity to his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This work is getting so fun to right. This is the juicy stuff I was waiting for! More drama to come!


	5. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ron is tired of the cycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: implied rape, school shooting

There was absolutely no reason for Ron to have expected Hermione to break up with Cormac, but he still did. Ron was very disappointed to see Cormac and Hermione sitting together in the Gryffindor common room after class on Monday. He walked past them without a word.

Ron and Hermione fell into a cycle. For months, Hermione and Cormac would go from loving on one another, to fighting, and somehow, every time, Hermione ended up in Ron’s arms. They had the same conversation every time.

Hermione’s head was propped up on Ron’s arm, the blanket keeping everything from their waists down covered.

“Why don’t you just leave, ‘Mione?” Ron asked. He normally pulled her in at that point.

“It’s not that easy, Ronald.” Hermione would reply, unable to look up at her friend.

“It could be.” Ron let his fingers trail across her bare skin.

Hermione usually stopped talking at that point, just enjoying the heat radiating from Ron’s skin. They only did this on weekends that they were home because there was no way they could get away with even being in the other’s dormitory at Hogwarts.

After an entire semester _and_ summer worth of the back and forth, Ron had finally had enough.

“You’re _using_ me, Hermione!” Ron shouted at her, leaving her paralyzed in the middle of the outer corridor. “You can’t keep leading me on. It’s mean. I’m holding out for you, but every single time, you go back to _him_!”

Hermione was glad that they were the only ones in that part of the school. “Ron,” She began, but found herself at a lost for words. There was no way she could deny it. She was using Ron, but it was never meant to hurt him.

“This is over,” Ron told her, his cheeks flushed from anger. He appeared as if he needed to complete his thought, but instead of speaking, he turned on his heel and walked away from her.

Ron began to indulge himself with Lavender Brown. She still adored him, so it was no problem when Ron came back from his talk with Hermione and sat down with the pale girl. They were not as discreet as Ron was with Hermione. Lavender would often sit in Ron’s lap at breakfast, his neck would be covered in bites rimmed with her salmon-colored lipstick.

Hermione’s blood boiled from across any room she shared with them. After Ron and Lavender began openly shaking up, Hermione completely cut herself off from her friends. She didn’t know if she could be around them, and she didn’t want to find out.

After the third time Hermione slept with Ron, she stopped letting Cormac have sex with her. However, since Cormac had 80 pounds on her, it didn’t take much for Cormac to have his way with her. Eventually, Hermione stopped fighting him and just laid there.

Being with Lavender was nothing like being with Hermione. Lavender’s hair was a sandy blonde, and her body was not as tight as Hermione’s. Her skin was not as soft, but if Ron closed his eyes and relaxed enough, he could envision Hermione’s milky skin brushing up against him with every motion. He didn’t want to hold Lavender after their encounters, despite her making it known that she wanted to be held. Every time he finished, he imagined it was Hermione he was with, and that made the experience much better.

The first semester of their eleventh year brought Hermione’s sixteenth birthday, but she was absent. Ron tried not to seem disappointed. He was sure that she was with Cormac, but Ron ran into Cormac in the hallway.

“I texted Hermione.” Ginny announced at lunch. “She said she’s not feeling well. Should we go see her after classes?”

“I think that would be nice.” Harry agreed, looking at Ginny from across the table.

“If she’s sick, I don’t want my Won-Won to get sick.” Lavender poked her head into their conversation from the other side of Ron.

Ginny simply rolled her eyes. Her and Harry decided not to go, due to the sole fact that they had no ride.

Hermione was back in the dining hall for breakfast the following morning, which relieved Ron. He knew that if Hermione was absent for more than a day, something was really wrong. He only glanced at her, not wanting to ogle her long enough to start an issue with Lavender, who was hanging onto his arm, trying her best to walk in pace with Ron without stepping on him. Harry and Ginny trailed in after the loving couple, their eyes already rolled in annoyance.

“I miss her.” Ginny whispered once everyone was sat down in their normal spots. “I think I’ll go have a chat with her.” Before her brother could stop her, Ginny was already on her feet and walking towards Hermione.

Hermione was facing her boyfriend, leaning into him slightly while Cormac traced his fingers over her shoulder. She had her hair down and half of it was covering her face. When Ginny approached her from behind and asked Hermione to follow her to the toilet, she looked to her boyfriend desperately, then stood and followed the younger girl to the restroom.

“I hope you had a happy birthday.” Ginny told her friend as they entered the empty bathroom, but didn’t give her any time to form a response. “Why don’t you talk to us anymore?”

Hermione wasn’t facing Ginny, but still spoke. “It’s just…” She began, not sure how to form her sentence. “Things between Ron and I are not good.”

“Yeah, obviously. But what about _me_?” Ginny asked, taking a few steps towards her. “You’ve left me to deal with Lavender. She’s driving me _mad_!” She groaned, then turned Hermione by her shoulders. What she saw when Hermione turned to face her shocked her. Hermione’s jaw had a purple lump on it, and her bottom lip was split. “What happened?” She asked in horror, taking a step back.

“Ginny…” Hermione whispered. “Please, don’t. I-I…”

It was obvious that she was trying to come up with an excuse. Without a word, Ginny walked out of the room, letting the door slam behind her. When she got back to the Great Hall, she walked as fast as she could back to her spot, knowing that her instincts would take over and she would unforgivingly wail on Cormac if she stopped.

“Well,” Ginny said, sitting down across the table where she typically sat. “He’s hitting her now.”

Ron froze. His body began to heat up. He heard Harry calling his name and saw the top of Lavender’s head bob in and out of his line of sight, but his eyes were on Cormac, who was glaring at his little sister. The only thing that shook him out of his blind rage was the sound of a shot ringing in the room. People began screaming around him, and chaos ensued.

“Ron!” Ginny screamed, which made her brother turn his head to look at her.

“Harry, take Ginny to the common room.” Ron said quickly. He stepped away from the table, completely ignoring Lavender’s words. “Go to the common room, I’m right behind you.”

Once he made sure that his friend was pulling his sister in the opposite direction, Ron took off outside of the Great Hall, towards the women’s toilets, where he saw Hermione looking around the hallway full of people running away from the sound of the gun. Their eyes met across the sea of people, and Ron instantly took off towards her. Hermione met him in the middle, where they grabbed each other’s hands and took off with the crowd.

“We’re going to die.” Hermione gasped after hearing another shot sound from around the corner. More people began running towards them, children of all ages running for their lives.

“No, we aren’t.” Ron said back to her, then pulled her to the side of the hall. “Come on,” He beckoned, then tugged on her hand to guide her down the hall, pulling at every door handle he passed. The first door to open was quickly closed behind them. Ron pulled out his phone in order to illuminate the dark room and gather his surroundings. They had made it to the janitor’s closet. Ron found a pile of door stoppers, so he placed one under the door and locked it at the handle, then let himself focus on Hermione.

She looked pitiful. The right side of her face was splotched with purple bruises and she had tears welling in her eyes. It broke Ron’s heart.

“Oh, ‘Mione.” Ron whispered, then pulled Hermione close to him. He turned the light down on his phone, then lowered both him and Hermione to sit on the floor, her still wrapped securely in his arms. “What is he doing to you?”

“I’m sorry, Ron.” She whimpered. He knew how hard she was trying to keep it together, but when Ron pulled her close to sit between his legs and lean against his chest, she lost it. “I don’t want to die. I… I want to graduate, and I want to have a family one day, and… and I love you Ron, and I need you to say it back to me, even if you don’t mean it, because I need to hear it.”

Ron felt another pang in his chest. “’Mione,” He whispered, but was cut off by the girl begging him to say it. He gently gathered her face in his hands and turned her head so he could look in her eyes. “I love you. I love you, and I’ll tell you every day for the rest of our lives, because we are _not_ going to die here.”

Sadly, Hermione nodded, then ducked her head down so she could let Ron’s warmth engulf her. They stayed like that for what felt like hours. Ron, at some point, had gently placed his hand over her mouth to muffle her occasional sobs. A familiar voice sounded over the intercom, echoing in the hallways for everyone to hear.

“Students of Hogwarts,” It began, and both Ron and Hermione immediately recognized the voice as their headmaster. “The threat to our school has been taken care of. Your parents have been notified of today’s events and you will be dismissed by years. Secondary Professors, if you have any primary students in your classrooms, please contact me immediately. For those participating in the boarding program, you will be separated by the officers that are escorting you and you will be taken to your common room, where your head of house will be waiting for you. Do not panic; we are safe now. Stay where you are and allow the officers to collect you. If you are not in a classroom, but took cover somewhere else, provide some type of signal, but wait until the officer is identified before you come out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This was definitely a heavy chapter. I tried to not go into too much detail, because there is already so much going on in this work. The reason I chose to write about a school shooting was because of "Take My Hand" by Rosie Barvik on ff.net. I find myself really wanting to read modern, no magic AUs, and this one was quite nice to read. I start writing when I run out of material, so if you have any good AU fics, send them my way!


	6. Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the shooting. Secrets are revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: allusions to rape and abuse, cheating

Ron and Hermione sat in the closet for another twenty minutes before anyone arrived. Ron had found a notebook stowed away in a cabinet, so he ripped one of the pages out and slid it under the door. When they got back to the common room, Ginny practically pounced on them, engulfing Hermione in her arms, which landed her squished between the two youngest Weasleys.

“I was so worried,” Ginny gasped, one arm wrapped around Hermione’s waist and the other reaching past her to grip her brother’s shirt. “You said you were right behind us!” Her face was pink, and her eyes were bloodshot. She had been crying. Harry approached the group from behind Ginny and included himself in the hug. Ron felt complete again for the first time in a while. He dipped his head down to rest his cheek against Hermione’s curls, enjoying the moment as long as he could.

“Students,” McGonagall’s’ voice rang through the room full of students huddled together in fear. “Your parents have been contacted. You will be dismissed for the rest of the week to go home and spend time with your families while we put new security in the school.” She sounded so official, but as she looked at all of the children she mentored, her eyes softened. “I am so sorry for what you have gone through today. This has never happened here before, and I can assure you that it will never happen again.” She shuffled a group of frightened seventh year children towards their dormitories after advising that no one leaves the common room without a professor supervising. Everyone left in the common room was over the age of 13.

“Hermione?” A deep voice sounded from outside of the circle that the four friends had formed. Hermione felt as if she shrunk in their arms. 

Ron pulled away first and took a wide step towards Cormac, but Ginny managed to squeeze herself in front of her brother, wedging herself between the two puffed chests. The two men didn’t look away from each other, both obviously trying to prove a point. 

“May as well put Harry between us, McLaggen isn’t afraid to hit a girl.” Ron grumbled, taking Ginny by her arm and pulling her from between them. 

“Is that what she told you?” Cormac scoffed, his eyes turning to Hermione. She was already looking at him. Her hair was tucked behind her ear, revealing her bruised jaw and split lip. 

“She didn’t have to tell me anything.” Ron spat back, his eyes never leaving Cormac’s. 

Hermione felt as though the world was crumbling beneath her feet. Her best friend and her boyfriend were at the other’s throat, and she was too scared of her boyfriend to do anything. The only thing that kept the two boys from fighting was McGonagall’s voice. 

“Those with cars on campus will be dismissed first.” She said as she entered the room from the stairwell. “Patils, Wood, Jordan, and McLaggen, go collect your things that you need for a week away.”

“Go pack your bag, Hermione.” Cormac commanded. “I’ll drive you home.”

The two Weasleys and Harry looked to Hermione, waiting to see what she was going to do after Cormac walked up the stairs. She looked at them sadly, muttered a soft apology, then turned away and walked up the stairs. 

“Bloody-” Ron began, but cut himself off once he noticed the horrified young teenagers that had witnessed him facing off with Cormac. 

“It’s as if she has no free will.” Ginny grumbled, then crossed her arms. “He doesn’t give her a choice. She’s got to be terrified of him.” 

“We need to support her through this.” Harry chimed in. “Once she gets the confidence to leave him, she’s going to need us.”

They were quiet until those who were leaving came back to the common room, lugging a single bag each. Lee Jordan bid the older Weasleys goodbye, wishing them a safe journey home, followed by the rest of the drivers. Cormac had his arm around Hermione’s shoulders, blocking the girl from her friends’ view. It wasn’t as if she wanted to be seen by them anyways, considering that she was cowering in shame behind the wall that was Cormac McLaggen.

Unable to watch his friend being led off by a boy that he despised, Ron let his instincts take over. “You will tell him, won’t you?” He asked, pulling everyone’s attention on him. “Don’t you think he deserves to know?”

Hermione froze in her steps, then turned to Ron, her eyes wide with an undeterminable emotion.

“Tell me what?” Cormac asked, looking down at Hermione.

“It’s really not appropriate to talk about right now, considering that we’re being evacuated from our school.” She spoke, her voice sounding the strongest it had all day. Before Ron could speak again, Hermione shuffled Cormac out of the common room with the other students that were being escorted to their cars.

The group met with the other older students from other houses and walked out together, the officers ready to shoot anyone who threatened them. Once in Cormac’s car and on the road to her house, Hermione leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, focusing on not letting any tears fall. She was overwhelmed, and for good reason. She had, in the past two hours, thought she was going to die, admitted her love for her best friend, and nearly was outed for cheating on her boyfriend. All she wanted was to go home to her mother, who was consistently texting her for updates, seeing as she couldn’t leave work to pick Hermione up from school.

“What do you need to tell me?” Cormac asked after twenty minutes of silence.

Without letting herself think about it, Hermione spoke. “I spent the first half of the year sleeping with Ron. He cut it off at the beginning of the semester.”

“That’s not funny.” Cormac replied, his voice calm.

“It wasn’t a joke.” Hermione replied. Cormac began to slow the car down, but Hermione kept talking. “I’m miserable with you. Ever since I sent you those pictures, you’ve used them to blackmail me. Who blackmails their girlfriend? It’s wrong.” It felt good to get everything Hermione had been dying to say off of her chest, so she continued. “Every single time I don’t dote on you, you tell me that you’re going to kill yourself and that it’ll be my fault. Do you understand what that does to me? What kind of stress that puts me under? You _hit_ me, Cormac. The day before my birthday. All because I didn’t want to have sex with you. Don’t you see the problem?” At this point, Cormac had pulled off onto the side of the road.

“You’re mine, Hermione.” Cormac grumbled, his fists wrapped around the steering wheel and his eyes directed forward. “I’ll ruin you.”

“See?” Hermione said, sitting up quickly. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t threaten me!”

“Shut up!” Cormac shouted, causing the girl to jump. He turned his head to look at her, and all he could see was readd. He unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled across the center console until he was straddling her. He thanked his dad mentally for installing his tinted windows.

* * *

Hermione trudged inside her empty house when Cormac dropped her off. Despite the throbbing throughout her entire body, she felt light. She opened the front door, locked it behind her, then slid down the door with her back pressed to it. She carefully pressed her hand to her mouth, minding her split lip, and let herself cry. The entire day was crazy, and Hermione was finally alone with her thoughts. She stayed there for a few minutes, then stood and lugged her bag up the stairs so she could get comfortable in her room again.

Her parents were performing dental surgery that day, which left her alone until the evening time. When her parents got home, Hermione heard her mother rushing up the stairs to her room, flung the door open, then wrapped her daughter in her warm embrace.

“Are you okay?” Monica Granger asked, her eyes looking over her daughter as if she already knew the answer. She glanced over the bruise across Hermione’s jaw, then looked back up at the teenager.

“I… Mom, Cormac hurt me.” She said sadly. Hermione decided in the car that she would not give Cormac the opportunity to ruin her. She was going to ruin him first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting closer to the end! I'm awful at writing endings, but I'll try my best to leave you all satisfied!


	7. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione discloses her secrets to her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: allusions to rape and abuse!!!! and vauge discriptions of medical stuff

Hermione had to explain to her mother the entire story of how she got to be where she was, but didn’t include some details concerning Ron. She explained the pictures and how Cormac had threatened her, then he began forcing himself on her, and how he recently began hitting her. She explained that the bruise on her face was not from a freak sleep-walking accident, but instead by a boy that had issues. Monica had asked Hermione when the most recent ‘attack’ was, and Hermione said that it was on the way home from school. She was ready to take charge of her life and leave Cormac, but she would need her mother’s help.

Monica drove Hermione to the hospital, where Hermione sat uncomfortably in the waiting room chairs for half an hour. She still wore her school robes, although they had been fixed to be presentable after she left Cormac’s car, knowing that it was a high possibility that the hospital would need her clothes. After being taken back to a room, Hermione was asked by a nurse to give a rundown on the events that she had disclosed to her mom before arriving to the hospital. The teenager handled it quite maturely, explaining the same chain of events that occurred over the past year, then finished up her story with a request: “I would like to press charges.”

There was no way Hermione was going to let Cormac ruin her. She had worked too long and fought too hard for her future just to have it be destroyed by a boy. The nurse left Hermione alone in the room to request police assistance, which caused Hermione to turn to her cell phone. She hadn’t looked at it in a few hours, since she got home. She had an array of messages from Cormac, walking Hermione through his stages of grief.

_I still love you_. The first message sent at 1:06pm.

_You’re such a slag._ The second message. 2:34pm.

_I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I’ll be better for you._ At 2:38pm.

_I’m going to kill myself._ 3:58 pm.

_Have a good life._ 5:06pm.

Hermione hoped that would be the end of it, but she knew better. She swiped out of the message thread between her and Cormac, then tapped on Ron’s name. They hadn’t texted in a while.

_I told him. You were right._ Hermione sent. A moment later, her phone lit up. Ron was always very prompt about responding.

_How’d he take it?_ Ron sent back.

_He’s pretty upset. Finally got him to break up with me, though._ She wanted to keep the tone light. Hermione, despite her aches, was happy.

_Where are you?_ Ron sent. Hermione hissed a curse under her breath. She didn’t want him to know what happened. The simple answer would be to put her phone down and not reply to the text, but something in the back of her mind replayed Ron’s voice: _Don’t you think he deserves to know?_

_St. Mungo’s ER._ She sent before her mind had too long to think on it.

_What??_ Ron sent immediately. Hermione began typing her reply, but Ron continued sending messages.

_What happened??_

_Hermione, are you okay? Did he hurt you?_

It made Hermione’s heart flutter at the idea that Ron still cared about her.

_I’m fine, really._ Hermione sent back. _I’m pressing charges against him, so the hospital is kind of a formality._

_I’m coming right now._

Hermione lived on the other side of London from Harry and Ron, so it was typically an adventure to get to them, but St. Mungo’s was just north of London, which was a mid-way point for the trio to meet at. It would take Ron about twenty-five minutes to get there.

He got there in eighteen.

Mrs. Granger was in the waiting room, looking distraught. Ron approached her quickly and gently placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders. It took her by surprise, but she observed Ron’s face and let herself melt into his hug. She had known Ron since he was barely nine, meeting him when picking Hermione up from a field trip. She watched Ron, as well as Harry, grow up. They would spend anywhere from 3 days to 7 days at her home every summer. It was almost as if she had three children.

“Oh, Ron.” Monica sighed, pulling away from him. “I’m so glad you’re here. She’ll want to see you.”

“How bad is it?” Ron asked as he moved to sit in the empty chair beside Hermione’s mother.

“I had no idea. She told me she had been sleepwalking. I would have never… I adored Cormac. I thought he was just perfect.” Monica was visibly upset.

“There was no way for you to know, Mrs. Granger. Don’t worry yourself. No one knew.” Ron reassured her. They were silent together for a moment until Ron saw a pile of clothes in the chair on the other side of Mrs. Granger. “What’s those for?” He asked, unsure of if he really wanted the answer or not.

“The police had to take her clothes.” Monica said softly, leaning forward to hide her face in her hands.

“Why?” Ron asked, not earning a response from his friend’s mother. Her silence answered his question. Rage coursed through the ginger’s veins, but he knew he had to keep it together in front of Hermione’s mother.

A nurse and an officer walked between the double doors a few quiet minutes later. As if the three women were synchronized, Hermione’s mother rose and met them in the middle of the room. Ron stood as well, ready to bolt as soon as they allowed him to. He only heard bits of their conversation, but he understood exactly what was going on.

“We administered an emergency contraceptive and an STD blocker orally, then ran an IV with saline, pain medication, and something to calm her down.” The nurse was explaining. She turned her head to the officer, who explained that she had to get a warrant, but Cormac would be in custody by the end of the day tomorrow. Ron felt relieved.

When they finally allowed him to see Hermione, she looked pitiful. Her mother had been back with her half an hour before Ron was allowed to see his friend, so Hermione was dressed in her own clothes, but covered up to her shoulder in the stark white sheets. She laid on her side, facing her mother who sat at the edge of the bed. The women both had streams of tears cascading down their cheeks, but Mrs. Granger was the only one who actually appeared sad.

When Ron entered the room, Hermione looked at him, then back at her mother. “Mum, would you mind going to get me a book from your car? Just to pass the time while the paperwork is done.” She said, obviously asking her mother to leave. Monica nodded silently and stood, patting Ron on the shoulder as she walked past him.

Ron took Monica’s seat, then reached his hands up on the bed to grab onto Hermione. She removed the blankets from her arms, revealing fresh bruising across her wrists and forearms. Ron hesitated, but Hermione quickly grasped his hands before he could pull away.

“It’s okay.” She insisted, but Ron was hyper focused on his friend’s arms. He could see bruises in the shape of fingers wrapping around her wrists and arms, leaving what created them to his own imagination.

Ron imagined Hermione running away from Cormac, but him managing to grab her and yank her towards himself. He imagined him pulling Hermione’s skirt up and moving his hand to his own pants. Before he could spiral, Hermione attempted to pull Ron back to reality.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ron asked. “It didn’t have to get this bad, I could have gotten you out.”

“You knew everything you had to know.” Hermione whispered. “I wasn’t going to be able to leave him. I had to make him hate me.”

Ron let her words simmer. So, she _did_ use him? Ron didn’t want to believe it. Emotions were high, but Ron knew that he had to be there for Hermione, just like Harry had said.

“I meant what I said today.” Ron whispered, referring to their intimate conversation in the closet.

“I did too.” Hermione whispered, knowing exactly what he was talking about. They didn’t speak after that. Ron held Hermione’s hands until Mrs. Granger came in, and even then, he only let go of one of her hands. When the nurse dismissed the three, Ron assisted Hermione into her mother’s car.

“If your mother is worried sick about you, you may need to go home, but you’re always welcome to stay the night.” Mrs. Granger offered, knowing that a drive across London at that hour for a new driver like Ron would be stressful. She also suspected that Hermione would enjoy the company of her best friend.

“I’ll give her a call, don’t wait on me.” Ron told the older woman, then closed Hermione’s door.

Ron ended up following the Grangers home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking maybe one more chapter?? I'm not sure, but thank you so much for reading!!


	8. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She can't seem to shake Lavender Brown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of abuse!!

The next day, Mrs. Granger got a call that Cormac had been arrested. She entered Hermione’s room without knocking, considering that her door was cracked. Ron was curled up on the other side of the bed. Harry and Ron had always been offered the guest room, but the three always ended up falling asleep in Hermione’s room. Mrs. Granger allowed them to be alone in Hermione’s room as long as the door was open, and the three still obeyed that rule. Hermione was wrapped up in her sheets and comforter, while Ron was lying under a completely separate blanket, which kept the two from touching. The two teenagers faced one another, their faces indicating that they were sleeping. Mrs. Granger quietly pushed the door to be more open, then stepped out of the room, allowing the children to sleep off the past twenty-four hours as long as they needed.

Monica kept in touch with Molly as their children slept, updating her on Ron as often as Molly asked. She was very worried for her youngest son, but Ron was old enough to know what he needed, and Molly respected that, as long as he was safe. She knew he would be safe with Hermione. Ginny heard that Ron was at Hermione’s, which led to Harry hearing from Ginny, which led to both of them showing up at the Granger’s house later that morning. Hermione and Ron were still asleep when they arrived, but woke when Ginny was crawling between them onto Hermione’s bed.

“Careful!” Ron exclaimed, worried that Hermione was fragile enough without his little sister crawling over her.

“I am!” Ginny said back, ending up on her knees between them.

Hermione rubbed her eyes and sat up on the bed, pushing the blanket off of her. “What time is it?” She asked groggily. She turned her head to look for her phone, then saw Harry. “How did you get here?” Ginny and Harry were closer in age than Harry and Hermione, so she was surprised to see her two friends that did not have their provisional licenses standing in her room, nearly an hour away from their own homes.

“Sirius brought us.” Harry said, then moved to sit on the foot of the bed. “Hermione, what happened?”

Before Hermione could speak, Monica spoke from the teenager’s door. “Cormac is in custody.” She said, explaining vaguely so that her daughter would not have to relive her traumatizing experience.

“As in jail?” Ginny asked, turning to face Mrs. Granger. The older woman nodded, and the entire room went silent.

“I’ll fix a spot of breakfast.” Monica said, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving the four kids alone. They all looked to Hermione.

“That’s a good thing.” Hermione whispered. “We’re rid of him now, no need to dwell. Can we just move on like nothing ever happened? Please?”

Before anyone could answer, Ron’s phone began to vibrate. Lavender’s name with a string of girly emoticons following it lit up on the screen. Ron sat up and picked up his phone, then groaned. “I should probably take this.” He said softly, looking at Hermione for permission. She nodded and he rose from the bed, leaving the room entirely to take the call.

“You can’t expect us to just go on as if everything is okay.” Ginny said. Harry tried to get her to stop speaking, but she continued on. “You left us, Hermione, without any explanation. Why can’t we know but Ron can?”

“Because I’ve been sleeping with Ron.” Hermione said quickly and defensively. “Is that what you need to hear? I’ve been sleeping with Ron, I told Cormac, and he beat me up. So, I went to the hospital and filed a police report against him.” Harry and Ginny were silent. “Now, can we please go downstairs and pretend like nothing ever happened?”

“Yes,” Harry replied quickly, not giving Ginny any room to speak. It wasn’t like she was going to say anything anyways, considering her state of shock. They stood and watched Hermione climb out of bed, then followed her out of her room. Ron held a finger up to them, signaling that he would need a minute before he could join them, then he watched Hermione carefully hobble down the stairs.

* * *

Going back to school was weird. It was even more weird for the entire group when Lavender continued to join them at meals. Hermione could only stand her for a few days before she was moaning and groaning to Ginny and Harry between classes. Even they noticed that Lavender was more obnoxious than normal. Hermione, now free from anything holding her back, found the guts to talk to Ron about it.

“She’s my girlfriend, Hermione.” Ron said in a quiet voice, seeing as they were in the library.

“How come you get to tell me to leave my boyfriend, but you get to stay with your girlfriend?” Hermione muttered angrily, pulling a new book from her stack.

“Lavender isn’t hurting me.” Ron said, almost as if he was trying to hurt Hermione with his words.

“It wasn’t like you knew Cormac was hurting me.” She replied bitterly.

“What do you want me to do?” Ron said quickly, slamming his book down in frustration. He instantly felt awful when he saw Hermione flinch. She recovered quickly, acting as if she never flinched in the first place.

“I want you to break up with her.” She said, not lifting her eyes up from her book.

“Why? So you can keep leading me on?” Ron was obviously upset, completely switching roles with Hermione, who was calm now.

“I had no other choice, Ronald.”

“You did! You could have left him, and things would be completely different now!” Ron whispered harshly, not wanting to draw attention to them.

“You _know_ I had no other choice. He would tell me he was going to kill himself or kill me. I was afraid of him.” Hermione said back, her jaw clenched.

“Well, I’m not afraid of Lavender. You can’t be afraid of everyone.”

Hermione slammed her book and glared at Ron, trying to find the words to say to him, but she was silent. Ron’s eyes bore into hers. They seemed to thrive in the silence, the lack of words speaking louder than either of them could.

“You said you meant it.” Hermione finally said. Ron knew exactly what she was talking about.

_“I love you Ron, and I need you to say it back to me, even if you don’t mean it, because I need to hear it.”_ Hermione begged him, tears of fear streaming down her face. The closet they sat in was dim, lit only by the strip of light exposed from under the door.

_“’Mione,”_ Ron replied.

_“Please, just say it. You don’t have to mean it, please.”_ She continued begging, shaking her head back and forth to try and stop Ron from talking.

_“I love you. I love you, and I’ll tell you every day for the rest of our lives, because we are not going to die here.”_ Ron promised her. He meant every word.

“I can’t hurt her, ‘Mione, she’s done nothing wrong.” Ron whispered sadly. He wanted nothing more than to be with Hermione, but he knew that it wasn’t the right thing for him.

“I don’t know if I can watch you love someone else.” She spoke honestly, sitting back in her chair. Ron was shocked.

“I can’t lose you.” Ron spoke honestly as well, but he leaned forward, his chest pressing against the table. “Not again. I won’t.”

Hermione nodded silently, then reopened her book and went back to silently studying. Ron took that as Hermione’s silent agreement to not go anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more I write, the more I find to write about. Thank you so much for reading! I'll be posting the chapters as I finish them, but I'm about to start work again so it'll be a few days before I update!


	9. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione spends time with her friends, only to have it inturrupted by bad news.

Lavender really did stick around, as if both her and Ron had something to prove. Hermione felt that same pride and hung around them as if Lavender were not an issue and would not throw her nasty looks every time she entered a room. The couple stayed together and were seemingly happy for the entire first semester of their eleventh year.

School was different after the shooting. Students had less freedom, there was a curfew imposed, and an outside security team was brought in. No visitors were allowed without a twenty-four-hour notice and they had to be searched upon arrival. Hermione would spend most of her free time in the library if she weren’t with her group of friends. Monica would keep Hermione updated with her case as needed, but the McLaggens were a wealthy family and could afford good lawyers. As long as Cormac was far away from her, Hermione didn’t care much about the case.

Harry was a great support for Hermione. He gave her space as she needed it, but the brunette knew that she was never alone. She hardly saw Ron anymore unless it was in a group setting. Sometimes, they would sit silently beside one another in the common room, either reading or watching the fire crackle in the fireplace, but their alone time would usually be interrupted by Lavender’s shrill voice, beckoning Ron to join her on some mundane activity. Hermione felt as if it was Ron giving her a taste of her own medicine for how she acted with Cormac. Ginny, she was a completely different story. After her trip to the hospital and Hermione admitting that she had been sleeping with the youngest Weasley son, Ginny felt different to be around. Hermione wondered if the youngest Weasley was upset with her, because the two girls no longer spent nearly as much time together. Harry was no help. When Hermione inquired, every single time, Harry would shrug it off. She noticed the two getting closer, which led her to believe that Harry may have some information as to why Ginny wasn’t herself when it came to Hermione.

As it neared winter holiday, Hermione, Ron, and Harry sat in the Great Hall, Lavender and Ginny nowhere to be seen. Ginny not being around had become a new normal for them, but Lavender? Hermione began to think that she may had died on the way there, because there was no way she could be separated from Ron for more than ten minutes. Hermione sat across the way from Ron and Harry, listening to their conversation while she pushed food around her plate. It felt normal for her when it was just the three of them. Ginny was always welcome and would always be one of them, but Lavender did not mesh well with Hermione for obvious reasons.

“Hermione, do you remember that time before sixth year when we went you Ron’s and Mr. Weasley managed to trick us into doing chores?” Harry asked, a grin smeared across his face.

“Yes!” Hermione gasped, remembering their time together. Mr. Weasley was always so welcoming, but with a busy house, he had to get things done. That was why he had seven children. “What did he call cleaning the garden?” Hermione thought long and hard about the magical words Arthur used to entice the children into working.

“De-gnoming!” Ron said quickly, aiming the tip of his finger at Hermione as he finished her thought.

“Yes! De-gnoming! I was always the best at it.” Hermione bragged, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a joking arrogance.

As the teenagers talked about their childhoods together, Hermione felt at peace. She knew that this was the best her life had been in at least a year. It felt so normal to be sitting at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Harry, laughing about something they had done in the past. Of course, she missed Ginny, but Ron and Harry were her best friends. They stuck with her for eight years, both of them seeing the worst parts of her. She was so glad that things weren’t too bad with Ron. They both had settled on their friendship, knowing that they couldn’t be without the other, even if it wasn’t in a romantic way. And, who knew? Maybe one day, her and Ron would find themselves single at the same time and they could give them another go.

Hermione knew she had to be single for a while. She had already scared off every boy in their year with her healing bruises and bad reputation. It wasn’t difficult for her to be single; Hermione was very independent and never relied on a man before. Even with Cormac, she was only with him for fun at the beginning, but eventually was manipulated into staying with him.

Hermione’s phone buzzed on the table, pulling her away from the conversation.

_Honey, I just got a call from someone at the police department._ Monica had texted her. Hermione froze up, but let her eyes continue to read the message. _They let Cormac out on bail. There’s no need to worry, you have that restraining order._

“Excuse me,” Hermione whispered, then picked up her bag and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving her friends confused on the other side of the table. Because students were heavily discouraged from walking the halls alone, Hermione asked a security guard to walk her to the Gryffindor common room so she could lay down, considering the massive fainting spell she felt coming on.

It was lunch time, so the common room was empty. Anyone who was not at lunch was either in class, or skipping with their friends. Because of that, Hermione felt comfortable throwing her bag down on the nearest couch and dialing her mother while pacing around the empty room.

“Hello, Dear.” Monica answered the phone with a sweet voice.

“Mum,” Hermione gasped, her feet carrying her by sheer force of will. “What do you mean, ‘they let him out’?”

“It’s going to be alright, Hermione, you’re safe at school, and when you come home for the holiday, you’ll be safe here. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” She said, her voice calm.

“I…” She began, hearing the door to the common room open. She quickly turned and saw Ron walking in, his breathing labored as if he had been running. “I can’t go home, mum, he’s going to find me.” She continued, feeling safe with Ron. She was going to tell him anyways, so it didn’t bother her that he overheard the conversation.

“He’s not going to find you, my love.” Monica insisted, but Hermione shook her head in denial.

“He’s going to find me, mum! He hates me, what if he tries to kill me?” Hermione was crying at this point, but Ron had not moved from his place in the entryway.

“Hermione, you’re going to be alright.”

“You don’t understand!” Her voice boomed, which put Ron into motion. He strutted towards her and immediately wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from pacing around the room. Hermione was pressed against Ron’s chest, her hand and phone pinned against her face while her other arm wrapped around Ron’s waist. “I can’t go home, mum, I simply can’t. I’ll just stay here for the holiday. I won’t go home.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Monica said, and Hermione could practically hear her rolling her eyes as she spoke.

“How could you say that to me? I’m terrified, mum, and you’re calling me ridiculous?” At that point, Ron’s shirt had been soaked through where Hermione’s face was pressed against it. “Thank you for the heads up. I’ll see you at summer holiday.” After Hermione said that, she managed to slip her hand and phone away from her face, then hung up her call. The newly free arm wrapped around Ron’s waist so she could intertwine her fingers behind him. She let herself sob.

“McLaggen is out, I presume.” Ron whispered, earning a small nod from Hermione. Ron gently nudged her, not removing his arms from her shoulders, but managed to walk her over to the couch. “You can come home with me.” He offered. “You shouldn’t spend Christmas alone.”

“I don’t know, Ron.” Hermione whispered, sitting down, finally separating from him. “I don’t know if I can. It wouldn’t feel right.”

“You used to spend weeks with us at the Burrow,” Ron said, sitting down next to her.

“Yeah, when we were children and weren’t sleeping together.” She rebutted. “I want to respect your relationship, and I don’t think Lavender would be happy if I spent the entire holiday at your house.”

Ron didn’t have a response for that. He simply sat back and looked at Hermione.

“I miss you.” Ron finally said after Hermione deeply inhaled through her nose, making a loud _sniff_ noise.

Hermione looked back at him, wiping the tears off her face and cleaning any fallen mascara from under her eyes. “Don’t.” She whispered. “Don’t do this, Ron, because it’s only going to hurt my feelings at the end.”

“I really do, Hermione, and not just in a sexual way. I miss spending time with you. _Just_ you. I didn’t mind being a secret because I was your secret. Yours.”

Talking about their past history was something new for both Hermione and Ron. They very rarely reference their sexual past with each other, and especially never talked about it in somewhere so public.

Hermione knew that there were definitely feelings shared between them, but there was never an appropriate time to confess them.

“I’ve been yours this entire time.” Hermione whispered. “For nearly a year now. I’m so sorry for hurting you, Ron, I really am. I never wanted that.” Ron tried to speak, but Hermione cut him off. “Please, let me keep going. I’m sorry for making you feel used. I was so wrong for how I acted, but I was desperate for someone who actually loved me… or at least cared about me.” Although Ron had already admitted to Hermione that he loved her, she didn’t want to assume that he still had those feelings.

Ron reached out while she spoke and placed his large, warm hand on her tight-covered thigh. The skirts somehow got shorter and shorter every year, so Ron was grateful in the winter when Hermione wore pants or tights under her skirts. As she spoke, he listened to every word. How could Hermione not see that he loved her? The entire time, he loved her. Ever since they were fifteen, his mind was solely dedicated to Hermione Jean Granger, his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! I somehow ended up going to a different state last week and as soon as I came back, I was so busy with school and work. I finished this chapter right before work today and I'm rushing to put it up! I will respond to all my comments this evening when I get home (ideally)!!


	10. Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Holiday rolls around. Hermione gets some bad news and decides to stay at school for the break. Ron stays with her.

“Won-Won,” Lavender’s shrill voice sounded through the Gryffindor common room as the entire house was packing their things for the winter holiday. Classes were over for the term and dinner was being prepared, so during the interval between those two events, the students were sent to their dormitories to begin packing.

Lavender skipped to the trio, interrupting Harry’s story about how he and Sirius were planning on meeting his little cousin, Teddy, over the break. Remus Lupin was Harry’s father’s and Sirius’s best friend from their schooling years, and the man had recently gotten married and had a baby. Hermione was grinning from ear to ear as Harry spoke, but her face fell completely after Lavender approached them.

“You’ll call me, wont you?” She gushed, letting her hands run over Ron’s chest. Hermione was sure that she was making a face riddled with disgust, and she sure hoped that Lavender looked over and saw her.

“You know I will.” Ron said, placing his hands over hers to stop them from roaming the front of his torso. “Did you finish packing?”

“Yes!” The girl chirped, hopping in place a little as she spoke.

“Alright, then we should head down to eat.” Ron suggested, then turned to look at his friends. He had already told Lavender that he would be the only Weasley not returning home for the holiday, but he never exactly explained why. Something along the lines of needing to be caught up and attempting to get ahead of his work for the new semester coming up. Ron took Lavender by her waist and led her out of the common room, leaving Harry and Hermione to trail behind him.

“Where’s Ginny?” Hermione asked Harry, nudging him with her shoulder as they walked.

“I’m sure she’s still packing.” Harry replied coolly, not showing any emotion towards the new subject.

“You sure are spending a lot of time with her, aren’t you?” She suggested, wiggling her eyebrows at the younger boy. “Do you know why she isn’t talking to me?”

“Hermione, it’s not really something you want to hear.” Harry said sadly, turning to look at his best friend.

Hermione wasn’t expecting Harry to have an answer for her. She stopped walking and grabbed his forearm, stopping him as well. “You’ve got to tell me now.” She insisted.

Harry tilted his head to the side, then sighed. “She’s worried about Ron. She saw how badly he was hurt while you two were… together. And she’s upset with you because of that.” He told Hermione, which earned a sad look from the girl.

“Oh,” was all she could manage to say.

After dinner, Hermione caught Ron by the bend of his arm. He let Lavender go, telling her to go grab her bags, and that he would bid her goodbye, then turned to Hermione.

“You should go home.” Hermione told him.

“What?” Ron asked, obviously taken aback. “No, I’m staying here with you.” He told her sternly.

“I really think you should. It’s not right, Ron. I think your family will be even more upset if you do go back with them.”

“Even _more_? Who said they were upset in the first place?” Ron asked, his brow furrowed.

“Ginny won’t even look at me, Ron. I think you should go home. It’s really not fair to them or Lavender for you to stay with me.” Hermione insisted, then gave him a sad smile and walked away, heading towards the common room. She passed Lavender on the way back. The girl stopped her, roughly grabbing her by the bend of her arm.

“Watch it, Granger.” She hissed. “You had your chance. Ronald is _mine_.”

“Oh, and he’s _so_ lucky to have you. Honestly, Lavender, you’re a nightmare.” Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. She pulled her arm away from the girl and tried to continue on, but her voice stopped her.

“I heard you in the common room with him. A few weeks ago. I know you used to sleep together. But he’s sleeping with me, now. He’s already forgotten about you. He only said he missed you to keep you from killing yourself, but I couldn’t care less about you.” She spoke to Hermione’s back. While Hermione knew that wasn’t true, it still hurt her. She continued walking.

“Lavender!” Ron’s voice boomed in the hall, stopping Hermione in her tracks. He sounded pissed. Hermione didn’t want to hear what he had to say, so she went back to her dorm, where she sat in silence for what felt like hours.

* * *

Ron was livid. How _dare_ Lavender say that to Hermione? Where did she get off?

“Won-Won!” Lavender exclaimed in surprise when he shouted for her. She tugged her trunk behind her as she approached him, a nervous look plastered across her face.

“What in the bloody hell is wrong with you?” He hissed, not allowing his girlfriend to touch him like she normally would. “Why did you say that to Hermione?”

“Because, Ronald, she’s trying to take you from me!” Lavender exclaimed, as if Ron was the one in the wrong.

“She is _not_ trying to take me from anyone! Hermione is my friend, Lavender, and you simply cannot speak to my friends that way.”

“Do you still love her?” Lavender asked, her tone making the idea of Ron still loving Hermione ridiculous. She knew that Ron left her the first time to try and shack up with Hermione, but his friend never left her boyfriend long enough to start anything with Ron.

Without thinking, Ron spoke. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

His girlfriend was not expecting that.

With a _humph_ , Lavender pulled her trunk behind her and left the corridor they stood in, heading towards the exit of the school.

Ron was finally alone with his thoughts. He thought about Hermione and Lavender and even Cormac. Lavender had been taking up so much of his time, but instead of pulling him away from his friends, she drove his friends away from him. It was similar to what Hermione did while dating her two most recent boyfriends, but Ron gave her hell about it. He felt awful. How could he not see that he wasn’t much better than Hermione when it came to balancing a friendship with his relationship?

Ron took off towards the common room. It was dark out, and the school was quiet. Not many students stayed over holidays, only those with unstable home lives and a handful of teachers to keep watch over the students. Over the break, older students that stayed over were elected as “hall monitors” or some type of babysitter, making sure the students made it to meals on time and were not getting into trouble. McGonagall gave Hermione those duties, seeing as she was the eldest girl and most responsible Gryffindor staying over the break. There were maybe five other students in Gryffindor that stayed over, not including Ron and Hermione, so she was not expected to be very busy.

When Ron got back to the common room, Hermione was speaking to a younger student about how their break was going to be. Ron overheard her telling the boy how they would not be enforcing uniforms or making them wake up at a certain time, but he had to keep up with himself. If he needed anything, he could find her or contact Dumbledore, who was staying over the holiday.

“’Mione,” Ron interrupted, causing his friend to turn and look at him. “Can I talk to you?”

“Go on, Reed, it’s nearly time for bed.” Hermione whispered, shooing the younger boy away. He stood and made his way up the stairs to his dormitory.

“I’m so sorry about Lavender.” Ron told Hermione once they were alone. He walked towards her and took Reed’s spot on the couch, then placed his large hands on her knees. “She was absolutely out of line. Nothing she said to you was true.”

“I know,” Hermione shrugged, then crossed her legs in an attempt to move Ron’s hands.

“I think she broke up with me.” Ron followed up, scooting closer to Hermione. “Because I’m in love with you.”

Hermione froze. She had no idea how to react to the news that Ron was single… Maybe? He didn’t sound too sure he was single.

“You think she broke up with you?” Hermione asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“She asked me if I still loved you, I said yes, and she walked away from me.” Ron replied.

Of course, Hermione was happy, but she didn’t want to assume anything. Of course, Ron had just admitted that he loved her, but he had previously admitted to similar feelings and no change came from it.

“How do you feel?” She asked softly.

“Like I want to kiss you.” Ron whispered back. Hermione took that as her chance. She met Ron in the middle, letting her lips press against his. Their passionate kissing progressed until Hermione was sitting on Ron’s lap, the fire behind her heating up a newly exposed patch of skin on her back. Ron’s hands were just under her shirt, the callous of his fingers feeling her soft skin. Ron had missed this. It felt so right.

They spent the entire break sneaking around the other students, spending the nights in each other’s twin sized beds. It was true bliss. Christmas was nice as well. They met the students who stayed at school in the Great Hall for dinner, enjoying the variety of foods that accommodated everyone’s dietary needs, then shared small gifts and memories with the fellow Gryffindors.

Eventually, as the new year set in, the school began to fill up with students again, and with those students not only came Lavender, but came Cormac McLaggen.


	11. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of what was supposed to be a work that was 3-5 chapters.

“Why is he here?” Hermione shouted, pacing around the office of Albus Dumbledore, Hogwart’s headmaster. “Professor, he was in _jail._ He hurt me, and you allow him to come back? As if nothing even happened?”

Ron and Harry sat in the corner of the room with Professor McGonagall while Hermione berated the headmaster for allowing her abuser back on school grounds.

“Ms. Granger,” The serene old man spoke calmly, creating an unhealthy balance to Hermione’s outbursts. “I can assure you that Mr. McLaggen is not here by my account. I have already sent for Hagrid to collect him and escort him back to his father’s house, where he will be reminded of your restraining order. He will be gone by lunch time, with no issues in your regard. All I can do is apologize for the mistake.”

The new term hadn’t even started. When Hermione was welcoming the younger boarding students and assisting them into their dorms, she glanced around the room for Ron, but only found Cormac’s eyes glaring at her. Her entire body went numb, but she still managed to move. She felt like she was on auto pilot. Somehow, she managed to find the Weasley pack, Harry standing alongside Ron, and squeezed herself in the middle. The Weasleys were her friends, and had been for a long time. She knew that they wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. Ron had wrapped an arm around Hermione, pulling her closer to him, and balanced his chin on top of her head. It wasn’t as if they were trying to hide their odd relationship, but they definitely had not told anyone yet.

Hermione turned on Ron’s arms and wrapped her arms around his middle. “Cormac is here.” She whispered into his chest, then turned to look at Harry, telling him the same thing in the same whisper. Harry’s eyes shot up to Ron, who was already looking at him. They excused themselves from the rest of the kids and went straight to Dumbledore’s office.

After Dumbledore manages to calm Hermione down, the trio was escorted to the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall, where they were unable to enjoy the food because they were all so focused on who was around them. Ron and Harry sat on either side of Hermione, while the remaining Weasley boys sat across the table from them, filling in Ron on all he had missed.

Lavender was not as much of a problem as they expected. As soon as she saw them all together, she rolled her eyes and walked away. They hadn’t heard her shrill voice all day, and it was quite calming. After the boarding children were dismissed from the Great Hall, Hermione felt at ease. Dumbledore had promised that Cormac would be gone by then and he would no longer be a problem at school. She hoped that he would get caught in a technicality of her restraining order and would be placed under house arrest or something of the sorts, but a girl could only dream. Feeling light, Hermione reached down as she stood up, grabbing Ron’s hand, then she looped her arm through Harry’s.

“This is going to be a good term. We’re so close to being done with school! Only a few more years left.” She said happily, walking with her best friends out of the Great Hall. All felt right again. She would have to call her mother that evening after everyone was settled in and tell her that Cormac thought he could get away with coming back to school, as if he would fly completely under the radar. With Cormac on the back of her mind, the last thing she expected was to be practically nose to nose with him outside the Great Hall.

Ron’s fingers tightened around Hermione’s hand and Harry stopped in his tracks, causing Hermione to be stopped harshly and be pulled from her thoughts.

“Hermione,” Cormac greeted her.

Hermione stood up straight and let the boy’s arms go, then took a step forward. “Cormac,” She replied, not allowing him to have the power to make her run and hide away the way he did just a few months previous.

“Got bodyguards now, I see?” He said, his eyes moving from Hermione to Ron and Harry. They stood just as tall as Hermione was, their chests puffed out as a sign of dominance.

“You should be having an escort, shouldn’t you? Considering you’re in violation of my restraining order.” Hermione shot back, disregarding his comment. “Don’t want daddy to have to bail you out of jail again, do we?”

“You sure are tough when you have two people twice your size behind you.” He noted, his eyes flickering back to Ron, pure hatred in his glare. “Like my seconds?”

Before Ron could answer, Hermione reached her hand up and let her palm collide with Cormac’s cheek. Ron reached out and pulled her back, unknowing of how Cormac would react to being slapped by Hermione. Harry took the initiative to step forward, blocking Cormac if necessary.

“I am _nobody’s_ seconds.” Hermione said. “You will not speak about me like that anymore, do you understand me, Cormac? You do _not_ want to insult me. You think _you’re_ going to ruin _me_? I have plenty of evidence that you are not anything close to the person you pretend to be. You best go off now, before things get worse for you.”

Cormac glared at his ex-girlfriend, then stormed off, his bags in tow.

Harry turned to look at Hermione, who had dropped her jaw and was looking between her two friends. “I cannot believe I just did that.” She whispered, a grin growing on her face.

“I cannot believe you did that either.” Ron whispered, a grin to match Hermione’s turning on his face.

“That was cool.” Harry added in. The three of them giggled about Hermione’s newfound strength for a moment before walking back to the common room.

Just as Hermione predicted, it was a good term. They had no more problems with Cormac, nor Lavender, and Ginny eventually found her way back to them. Her and Hermione dished it out and Ginny shared that she saw how hurt Ron was the first time he had been seeing Hermione. Hermione apologized for making her brother go through that and assured her that Ron was the right person, it just was never a good time for them. She made sure that Ginny knew that her and Ron were not going anywhere anytime soon.

She held true to that. After the Cormac case was settled, taking over a year to actually get to court, Hermione was offered a full ride academic scholarship to Oxford. She had been dreaming of that day since she started school. Ron was just as excited for her, and even applied to Oxford as well as West London College. He did not meet the requirements for Oxford, but he made it into West London. The two celebrated with their families, including Harry and Sirius in their parties. Graduation day was not as exciting as it was made out to be. It was hours of listening only to walk across the stage for less than ten seconds.

Hermione and Ron began talking about their future. Their universities were only a few streets away from each other, so they considered getting an apartment. They knew that they needed to be making better money for that, so they lived on campus and visited one another for lunch every day, taking turns sneaking one or the other into their dorms for the weekend.

Hermione had lost all hope when she was with Cormac. She thought that she would get stuck with him, and eventually, he would follow through on his threat to ruin her in fear that she would leave. Ron gave her the push she needed, and supported her the entire way through. She thought about that often.

Ron also thought about it. He knew from the moment he actually became Hermione’s friend, and eventually became her lover, everything he did was all for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this. This was a crazy piece to write. I am so sorry if this is not the ending you all wanted, but I'm finding it harder and harder to stay motivated to write, and I wanted to complete it before I was completely burnt out. I have moved on to a Harry Potter x reader where the reader is Draco Malfoy's sister. Let me know if you all are interested! It would probably be something like this, where its intended to last a few chapters, but ends up being 60 page word document.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for reading my story, All For Her! This work will be super angsty to help me bring some drama to my boring life. Ideally, this work will have 3-5 chapters, but at this point in my writing, I am not positive on a number yet. I hope you enjoyed, and I will talk to you in chapter two!


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